How To Be A Gentleman
by xXxMassaroxXx
Summary: Gary Oak is as cocky and arrogant as ever, but what will happen when he has to turn to his rival Misty Waterflower for help? Egoshipping, R&R!
1. Parallel Worlds

"Misty," groaned Melody, pointing into the distance, "Look who's coming over..."

Misty looked at where she was pointing, and instantly recognised the familiar brown hair, sighing to herself.

Misty and Melody were sitting on the swings in the playground, and they weren't too pleased to see Gary Oak, Drew Ivy and May Harris walking towards them.

"Well, if it isn't Misty Waterflower and her little cronie," sneered Gary, standing in front of them.

"Where's your little boyfriend Ash, eh? Finally ditched you, has he?"

"Ash is not my boyfriend, now get the hell away from me, jerk."

"Well, if he's not your boyfriend, then how about a date with me?" he said cheesily.

"In your dreams, asshole!" shouted Misty, standing up.

Gary laughed as Misty grabbed her bag, and left the swings, followed by Melody.

"God," said Melody, as they walked towards the exit to the park, "What is with that May girl? She follows Gary and Drew everywhere, and she practically fawns all over Gary!"

"It's because she can't get anyone else," smirked Misty.

Back at the swings, May giggled and clung to Garys arm, much to his annoyance.

"God Gary, you really are the best, you sure showed her!" she said innocently, hoping to get Gary to notice her.

Gary simply shook her off his arm and shouted after Misty.

"Just you wait Waterflower, you'll fall for me eventually!"

He laughed, shaking his head, and looked back at Drew and May.

"Man, you don't seriously like her, do you?!" exclaimed Drew, in awe.

"Hell no, I can do better than that bitch! I wouldn't be seen dead with her! C'mon, lets go..."

"Gramps, I'm home!" shouted Gary Oak, pushing the hall door closed. He heard a vague reply coming from upstairs and knew his grandfather, Professor Oak, was working somewhere in the house.

Smiling to himself, Gary walked into the kitchen and started making himself a snack, not hearing his grandfather come in.

"Gary, there you are! I called you several times, didn't you hear me?"

"Mhphmm... I phmh fhm pfam..." replied Gary, food in his mouth.

"Gary, I've told you before, no eating with food in your mouth!"

"Whatever Gramps," said Gary, swallowing his sandwich, "Whadya want?"

"Well," said Professor Oak, "Next Friday is a ball. It's being held by my good friend Professor Ivy, on the Orange Islands. It's very important that I attend, due to business, and you are coming also."

"What?!" exclaimed Gary, "I'm not going to any ball! No chance, forget it!"

"Well Gary, seeing as you are living in my house, under my rules, you are going to this ball, whether you like it or not. I never get to show off my grandson. It's a formal ball, which means you're going to need a suit and tie, and there's something else we'll also have to work on."

"What...?" said Gary, suspiciously.

"Your manners, for heavens sakes! They're appalling! You have until next Friday to sort yourself out, and if you haven't, you're grounded for a month, with no allowance!"

"But Gramps -"

"No buts Gary! Now, I suggest you get a start on those manners. Find someone respectable to teach you. How about that young girl, Misty? I've spoken to her a few times, maybe she could teach you?"

"Misty Waterflower?! Are you crazy?! I hate her! No chance in hell Gramps!"

"Well, it's up to you, ask her to help you, or grounded with no allowance."

Sighing to himself, Gary stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Professor Oak with a small smile on his face.

"So lemme get this straight," said May, lying on the grass, "Your grandpa wants you to ask Misty to teach you manners? No way! You're not going to actually ask her, right?"

"I dunno..." said Gary, "My Gramps was pretty serious, I suppose I better just do it to shut him up."

"Gary, you can't!" exclaimed May, horrified.

"What if you end up liking her or something?!"

"Relax May!" laughed Gary, "I won't start liking her! I'll see you guys later, I suppose I better head over and ask her..."

May and Drew stared in awe as Gary just walked off, heading towards the Waterflower household.

Ten minutes later, Gary pressed the bell outside the house and waited. He heard a voice shouting "coming" and a few seconds later, the door opened and a blonde girl answered the door.

"Uh, hi, is Mi - Misty there?"

"Oh. My. Gawd! Lily! Violet! Get out here! Like, Mistys finally got like, a boyfriend!"

Two more girls came rushing down the hall, and instantly they started "ooohh"ing and "aaahh"ing over him, making him turn red. Misty appeared at the top of the stairs and pushed through her sisters, groaning when she saw who it was.

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you stalking me now?"

"Um, I need to ask you something..." muttered Gary.

"We'll like, go inside and give you two some like, alone time!" exclaimed the blonde girl, dragging her two sisters away.

"Well? What do you want?" said Misty, looking annoyed.

"Um, my Gramps is dragging me to some ball... And he thinks I need to learn some manners, so I was wondering, would you, you know, teach me some manners?"

Misty stared at Gary and then burst out laughing.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Me, help you?! You've done nothing but torture me for years, and you want me to help you?! Yeah right! Bye Gary!"

Just before she closed the door, Gary put his foot in front of the door so she couldn't close it.

"Wait! Just hear me out! Please Misty, I really need to learn these manners. If you do, I won't ever slag you again! I really wanna impress my Gramps, he thinks i'm just arrogant and cocky!"

Seeing the look on Mistys face, Gary sighed.

"Okay, so I _am _arrogant and cocky, but I wanna show him I can have manners too! Please Misty? I'll never slag you again, I swear!"

Misty sighed and looked at Gary.

"Fine. Meet me at Sharons Café tomorrow at twelve, be there, or the deal is off," said Misty, closing the door in his face.

* * *

**Authors Note: Okay, so, first egoshipping multichap! Read and review pretty please, all comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated! I'll post Chapter 2 within a week, so enjoy!**


	2. Touchdown Turnaround

"Would you like something to drink sir?"

Gary looked up to see a girl in her mid twenties, standing with her hand on her hip in a waitress uniform. Gary smirked.

"The question is, would you like to see me naked?"

The girl frowned and marched away, leaving Gary in stitches.

He looked at his watch. 12:15pm. Misty was late. Gary sighed and leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table. He looked out the window and spotted Misty coming towards the café, on the phone. She pushed open the door, and before she made her way over to Gary's table, he caught the end of her conversation.

"...Okay, so I'll see you later? Haha, okay, see you soon!"

She hung up the phone and sat down opposite Gary, as he glared at her.

"Why are you staring at me funny...?" questioned Misty.

"Why the hell are you fifteen minutes late? You said twelve."

"That's no way to greet someone! Relax, I had stuff happening at home, I do have a life, you know!"

"Ugh, whatever," muttered Gary, "Let's get this started..."

"So tell me about this ball, why do you need to learn manners so bad?"

"Because my gramps is an idiot. Because he thinks I need to learn manners. Because he wants to show me off. Because this stupid ball is formal. Because -"

"Because you're an arrogant, cocky, self-centred, egotistical jerk?"

"Heh, yeah, something like that," smirked Gary.

"Okay then... We'll start off with when you walk into the ball for the first time. People will probably start talking to you, and it's nice to talk about a suitable topic, like the weather, or the news or something."

"Haha," said Gary, "You mean like, "Hey baby, let's go make some babies"? "

"No Gary! Not babies! Forget that, ask them a question about themselves."

"A question? Like, "Your place or mine?"

"No!"

"How about, "I'm easy. Are you?" wondered Gary.

"Gary, be serious here, I'm losing my patience already!"

"I am being serious, this is the way I am!" exclaimed Gary.

"Whatever," sighed Misty, "I'll think of an easier solution for you... When you first meet them, flatter them. Be nice."

"I lost my teddy bear, would you sleep with me?"

"Gary! You're just pissing me off at this stage! I could be doing a lotta other things right now instead of helping you!"

"Relax Misty, jeez! You're taking this way too seriously!"

"Yeah, because you've gotta learn this stuff! And you're just turning it into a joke...

"I'm not turning it into a joke! It's just the way I am!" exclaimed Gary.

"Then could you not be yourself for five minutes?! You're not gonna learn anything if you don't even attempt!"

"Well, sorr-ee! Just because I'm not an uptight nerd!"

Misty glared at Gary, and looked like she was going to explode.

"You know, I dunno why I'm even bothering trying to teach you this, here I am, taking time out to help you, a person I greatly despise, and you're acting sarcastic and cocky, I shoulda guessed... See ya later..."

To Garys surprise, Misty stood up, glared at Gary and walked out of the café. He was confused, she was fine one minute, next minute, she had freaked. He hadn't thought it was a big deal, messing around, but apparently, she did. Gary stayed for a few minutes, then stood up, walked out the door and headed for the playground.

* * *

"Ugh, I can't believe you spent time with that freak..." muttered May, breaking pieces of grass in her hand.

"Wasn't that bad... Seeing as she walked out in the middle of our lesson..."

Gary sighed and lay on the grass, staring into space.

"She walked out?" said Drew, "Fair play, you got rid of her that easy?"

"No, I was being myself, and the stupid bitch over reacted..."

In the distance, Gary spotted two people coming towards them, and paid no attention to them. It was only when they got a little closer that he realised it was Misty, and another boy. Gary, interested, sat up a little and tried to figure out who the boy was.

"Hey Drew, May, who's that guy with Misty? The guy with the green t-shirt."

Drew squinted his eyes a little as he tried to figure out who the boy was.

"Oh!" said May, "I know him! He's in my English class! His name is Tracey Sketchit."

"Is he going out with Misty?" demanded Gary, sitting up completely at this stage.

"I dunno! Why are you so interested all of a sudden, we hate her!"

"I'm not interested... I just wanted ... Just wanted to see who'd be desperate enough to go out with Misty..." said Gary, smiling falsely.

May looked at Gary suspiciously, but went back to breaking little bits of grass.

Gary lay back down as Misty and Tracey disappeared and began to think. He didn't know why he'd demanded to know if Tracey was going out with Misty, it just came out. He hated Misty, for Gods sake! For the past few years, he'd done nothing but torture her, and she hated him just as much. Yet she had still agreed to give him a chance to teach him manners. Why? After Misty had stormed out of the café, Gary had felt sorry that he'd pissed Misty off, but that feeling was quickly shaken when he met up with Drew and May.

_'It's not as if I _like_ Misty, right? I mean, we're enemies! Of course I don't like her! Fair enough, she's not too bad, but still, it's Misty! God, what's going on with me...'_

"Hey guys, I gotta go home... I'll talk to you later, bye..." muttered Gary, standing up and brushing grass off his clothes.

"Uh, okay... We'll see you later I guess?" questioned Drew.

Gary nodded before jogging off, towards home.

Once Gary arrived home, he was greeted by a smell of burning in the kitchen. He ran into the kitchen to find his grandfather standing in front of the toaster, from which smoke was billowing out of.

"Gramps! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Gary, turn this damn thing off!" exclaimed Professor Oak.

Gary laughed and pressed a button on the toaster, and immediately the smoke began to clear.

"What happened?" asked Gary, still laughing.

"I can clone Pokémon, write books, multiply in my head, but obviously I can't make a piece of toast!" said Professor Oak angrily.

After the smoke had cleared, Gary grabbed a packet of biscuits from the shelf and sat down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"So Gary," questioned Professor Oak, "How did your manners lesson go today with Misty?"

"Ha, it didn't go at all... She walked out like ten minutes after it started..."

"Well, she must have had a reason. What did you do?"

"Gramps! You're accusing me of making her walk out?! I was being myself!"

"Then she did have a reason," chuckled Professor Oak.

Gary smirked, and grabbed another biscuit.

"So, when is your next meeting with Misty?"

"What?!" exclaimed Gary, biscuit flying everywhere.

"Well, you're not just giving up! You have a lot to learn, my dear boy! I'd advise you to call her and make another appointment."

"Aw Gramps, are you serious?!"

After seeing the look on Professor Oaks face, Gary stood up, and made his way up to his bedroom.

He searched for his cell phone, finally locating it under his bed, and after looking up Waterflower in the phone book, dialled Mistys number.

_'Like, hey everyone! You've reached Lily, Daisy and Violet! We're not - what? Oh yeah! Misty's here too! We're not in at the moment, either that, or we really just don't wanna like, answer the phone! So leave a message after the beep, and we'll like, so get back to you! Okay, is it off now? The red light is still flashing, does that mean it's off? No? How do you turn it off? I swear to God, like, I'm going to fuc- BEEP!'_

"Um, hey... Misty? Uh, it's Gary. I'm sorry I pissed you off today, like seriously. I was wondering, could I have another chance? 'Cos I know you'll be able to teach me manners or whatever, and I really need to know them. So my numbers probably coming up on your caller ID, call me or text me or whatever, let me know if I can have a chance okay? God this message is lame. So yeah - um, call me. By the way, Daisy, Lily and Violet, press the hash button when you're recording your message, it'll stop then."

Gary switched on some music and started wandering around his room. Ten minutes later, his phone started buzzing, and he picked it up, looking at the message.

_I'm gvn u 1 lst chnce._

_I'll mt u Sharons Café at around 1pm tmrw_

_Cya then_

_Misty_

_xx_

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 2 down! If this chapter doesn't make a lotta sense, it's because I've been up to my eyes this week! So, Misty and Gary sloooooowly progressing, not exactly couple material... yet! Hehe... R&R as always, I'll have Ch. 3 up in a week to two weeks, I'm gonna be really really busy for the next few weeks, so I'll update when I can! Also, I'll have a oneshot up sometime next week (It'll either be Pokémon or wrestling), it's been sitting on my computer for a few weeks now, it's dying for some human interaction!**

**Well, enjoy, talk to ya's later!**

**Amy xxx**


	3. Let It Whip

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all, just my plot/imagination!_

* * *

"Shit..." muttered Gary rubbing his cheek where the aftershave had stung him.

He finished slapping on aftershave and looked at himself in the full length mirror.

"Not bad Oak... Not bad at all..." he smirked, flashing his reflection a smile.

"Gary, I'll take that mirror down if you keep constantly staring at it," laughed Professor Oak, walking into Garys bedroom.

"Haha, funny Gramps... It's not my fault I'm so handsome... I just have to remind myself every few minutes."

Professor Oak picked up the bottle of aftershave from Garys bedside table and looked at it.

"Tommy Hilfiger? You never wear Tommy Hilfiger Gary! Special occasion? A date, perhaps?"

"Nah, not today Gramps... Got a lesson with Misty..."

"Oh?" said Professor Oak, sounding interested, "She's given you another chance?"

"Heh, more like I've given _her _another chance... Gotta go Gramps, be back later!"

Gary jogged out the door, leaving Professor Oak smirking and shaking his head.

_'Cologne? For a girl? Just what has gotten into you, Gary Oak?'_

* * *

"Wow, you're here on time for once, eh?" commented Gary as he slid into the seat opposite Misty.

"Haha, funny, of course I'm on time... Listen Gary, before we start this lesson, I don't wanna hear any rubbish or sarcasm from you, ok? I'm taking time outta my own life here for you of all people, and that's not an excuse to treat this as a 'Let's-Torture-Misty' session, got it?"

"Yeah yeah, I got it... I kinda really need to learn this stuff, so I'll drop the whole torturing act during the lessons, but once we're back outside, it's back to the old me, got it?"

"Fine. Deal. Now, you've got a tuxedo for this ball, right?"

"A WHAT?!" exclaimed Gary, eyes wide.

"A tuxedo. A suit! God Gary, it's a formal ball, you can't just go around wearing normal clothes!"

"A tuxedo?! But when my Gramps mentioned a suit and tie, I thought it was optional or something!"

"It's common sense!" said Misty, laughing at Gary's expression.

"But... I dunno where to even get a suit. And I'm pretty sure my Gramps wouldn't either."

"Get May to bring you shopping for a tux, she's a girl, she'll know."

"Go shopping? With May? Hell no! Have you ever seen that girl shop? She's the pickiest girl ever when it comes to choosing clothes, heh, imagine how choosy she'd be picking out clothes for _me_!"

"Well then, get someone to go shopping with you! You're like, the most popular guy in school, you have people fawning over you, every step you take! Go to American Male, McKenna, Jack Jones, everywhere, you'll find one."

_'She seems to know a lot about suits and where to get them,'_ thought Gary, _'But I'd highly doubt she'd wanna accompany me on a suit shopping trip... Might as well ask though...'_

"What're you doing tomorrow, Monday?" blurted out Gary.

"Um, nothing I don't think... Hanging out with Melody I suppose... Why?"

"Heh, I don't suppose you'd wanna come shopping for suits, would you...? I won't slag you or anything, it's just... Misty I really wanna impress my Gramps at this ball, you know? I know it may not seem like I give a damn about anything, but I don't want him to think I'm just some idiot. You know a lot about this etiquette shit, you could help me."

"Wait," said Misty, "How do you know what the word etiquette means?"

"Um... It was like, in... This cookbook in my kitchen..." stammered Gary, regretting he'd ever brought up the word.

"Cookbook?" asked Misty, raising her eyebrow.

"No! It's er, not mine, it's, eh... Look, will you come shopping tomorrow or what?"

"Haha, I don't see why not..." said Misty, laughing gleefully.

"Okay, cool... Now let's get this lesson properly started..."

* * *

"I'm home!" shouted Gary, slamming the hall door behind him.

He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the hall table, threw himself on the couch and started flicking through the TV stations.

"How's the lesson go today?" questioned Professor Oak, coming into the sitting room and settling down in an armchair opposite Gary.

"Uh, pretty good actually. We got some stuff done, Misty said I wasn't too bad today."

"You and Misty got on today? There was no fighting?"

"Heh," smirked Gary, "Not today, everything went okay. You've no idea how hard it is to pay attention for over an hour Gramps, seriously... Anyways, she's taking me shopping for tuxedos tomorrow, in Pallet City Mall."

"Whoa, what?! You say you don't like Misty, yet you're allowing her to take you shopping? You never go shopping with May!"

"Gramps, it's May, enough said. Uh, Mistys not so bad when she's not screaming at you, heh. I mean, it's not like it's a date or anything, just looking for a tuxedo for this stupid ball.

"Speaking of dates and balls," announced Professor Oak, "Have you got one for Friday?"

"Huh?" mumbled Gary, taking another bite of his apple.

"Your date. For the ball. On Friday."

"What?!" shouted Gary, apple spraying everywhere.

"I need a _date_? But I thought I could just hook up with random girls at the ball!"

"Gary, this is a formal dance, not some teenage disco! You know a lot of girls, call around, it shouldn't be too hard!"

Gary sighed dramatically and stood up, dragging himself up the stairs to his bedroom. Once inside, he grabbed his phone and scrolled to the first name in his phone book. Amy, a chick he'd hooked up with a few times. He pressed call and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Um, hey Amy, it's Gary."

"Oh, hey Gary! What's up?"

"Heh, I got a favour to ask... Next Friday, I gotta go to a ball with my Gramps, wanna be my date?"

"Aw Gary, I'd love to, you know I would, but my sisters holding a party this Friday while my parents are away, I gotta be there... sorry!"

"Uh, no sweat, don't worry... Mind if I stop off after this ball?"

"Sure, you know where I live! Bye!"

Gary hung up, cursing, and a few seconds later, realised what happened.

"Wait a minute, did I just get _rejected_?!"

* * *

"Sorry Gary, I'm going to Amy sisters party! I, uh, could try get outta it if you want?"

"No, it's fine..." sighed Gary, "Bye Emma..."

Gary hung up the phone for the twenty seventh time, finally admitting defeat.

Everyone was going to that stupid party at Amy's house, literally everyone. He knew he could call May, but he'd be wanting to get rid of her the second he got in the door of the ball, so decided against it.

Gary looked in his mirror and messed up his hair again.

"Do you have _any _idea how bad this is for my reputation?"

* * *

"How about... this one?" said Gary, holding up a suit against him.

"Gary!" exclaimed Misty, "One, it's pink, two, it has polka dots!"

"But it's better than all these boring black suits! They all look the same!" whined Gary.

"Well I'm sorry, but a boring black suit is what you're gonna have to get! Now... we've narrowed it down to two suits, pick."

Gary looked at the two suits Misty was holding in either hand, concentrating carefully.

"They're both the exact same!!"

"Fine then! Just get the cheapest one!"

"Whoa, I'm not wearing NO cheap tuxedo! Gimme the expensive one..."

"God, you really are an egotistical bastard..." muttered Misty, thrusting the suit at him.

"What was that Misty?" smirked Gary.

"Nothing Gary..." said Misty sweetly.

Gary paid for the suit, and when it had been packaged and handed back to him, Gary suggested they go for something to eat, to which Misty agreed.

Five minutes later, they sat inside a small café on the top floor of the mall, eating.

"So, you excited about this ball?" said Misty, putting her cup down.

"Not really. It's gonna be boring, and I can't hook up with girls!"

"Awww," said Misty sarcastically, "Poor you!"

"Oh haha, funny!" said Gary, throwing a chip at Misty, making her giggle.

"So, how d'you think I'll do at this ball? With the manners and stuff."

"Um... To be honest, I think you'll be pretty good. I mean, you learned a LOT in one lesson, and we'll probably meet up once or twice before Friday, to run over a few more things. That's if you don't mind, of course..." said Misty quickly.

"Nah, we can meet up, you're not so bad when you're not screaming at me, heh."

"Thanks, you're not too bad yourself. Still pretty bad though, haha."

"Anyways, Misty, I got something I wanna ask you. This ball, I need a date, see. And I was wondering if you-"

"-if I would go with you," finished Misty.

"Yeah... Just as friends like, don't worry."

"Let me guess, you called around and everyone's going to Amy's sisters party, so you're looking at me for a last resort?"

"What? Uh, no - I just - I was -"

"Haha, relax Gary, it's fine. I'll go. It's an excuse not to go to that party in anyways, I'm not really a party girl."

"Wait..." said Gary, "You'll go?"

"Yup. You're not _too_ bad, why not. Anyways, I gotta go now, my sisters need me home. Um, I'll call you whatever, organise the next lesson, bye!"

Misty stood up, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the café, waving to Gary as she walked by.

Gary stayed sitting for a while, happy he'd found a date for the dance, and a suit in one day. Little did he know, Misty was standing outside the lift, her stomach tingling with happiness, a smile on her face, already wondering what dress she would get.

* * *

**Authors Note: At LAST it's up! I am SO sorry for the late update peoples, hope this chapter makes up for it heh... **

**I felt SO bad when I had to write about Gary getting rejected, but I kinda had to get him rejected twenty seven times (although I nearly cried) because ya know, the whole plotline!**

**Misty and Gary: officially heading off to the ball together, yay! The past chapter or two have been focusing on mostly Garys thought and feelings, so the next chapter is gonna be based around Misty, her preparrations and thoughts and stuff like that, only three or four chapters left in this story, aww!**

**Chapter Four: Should be up in 1 - 2 weeks, with a oneshot between them, R&R as always, thanks for reading!**


	4. Ready Set Go

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything, nor do I own 'Good Day' by the Click Five._

* * *

_'You're looking for something you can't find / If you give it up you'll lose your mind'_

"There's always something in your way," sang Misty.

She stood in front of the mirror and posed jokingly, singing the last line, as the song came to a close,

_'What can I say, you're gonna have a good day!'_

Misty grabbed her bag off the bed, turned off the radio and made her way down to the kitchen.

"Like, good morning Misty! You're up early!"

"Yep, me and Melody are going shopping, I need to get a dress!"

"Whoa, hold up a minute sis!" exclaimed Lily, holding up a hand.

"_You're_ going shopping, for like, a _dress_?!" asked Violet.

"Um, yeah? I'm going to a ball on Friday, on one of the Orange Islands."

The ball being hosted by Professor Ivy?! Like, that's only for really important people! How the hell are you going?!"

"Uh, I got invited, by a friend. I helped him out with something, so I'm going to it with him in return."

Misty knew she'd be pestered with questions if she didn't get outta there soon, so she said she was going to meet Melody, and dashed off, leaving her sisters sitting there, gobsmacked.

"She like, so has a boyfriend." announced Daisy.

"Totally," her other two sisters replied in unison.

* * *

"Ohh, what about this one??" said Melody, teasingly, holding up a puffy yellow dress that she knew Misty wouldn't be seen dead in.

"Come on Melody, be serious!" whined Misty, "We've looked in eight shops, and we haven't found one single dress!"

The pair had travelled to eight shops in Pallet City Mall in the past two hours. They'd found long dresses, short dresses, black dresses, white dresses, coloured dresses, puffy dresses, slim dresses, strapless dresses, halterneck dresses... But none of them were right for Misty. She was never usually a fussy dresser, throwing on the first thing she grabbed in the morning, but for some reason, she felt like she should make an effort on her appearance for this ball.

"I say we take a break, and go get coffee, whadya say?"

"Yeah, cool," replied Melody, reluctantly putting the yellow puffy dress back.

The two girls made their way up to the next floor of the mall and a few minutes later, they sat down at a table outside their favourite coffee shop, cups of steaming coffee in their hands.

"So, why are you going to this ball with Gary anyways? Don't you and him hate each other?"

"True. But it's hard to explain... When we're on our own during these lessons... I dunno, he's a different person, he's funny, kind, sweet..."

Catching the look on Melody's face, Misty burst out laughing.

"He's still a cocky, egotistic jerk, though!"

Misty took another sip of her coffee, and continued.

"When he's with Tweedledum and Tweedledee, aka Drew and May, I can't stand him, but when we're on our own together, it's like he's a completely different person. God, the other night, Amy rang me and invited me to her sisters party and I said no, 'cos I just wasn't up for a party, and the day after, Gary asked me to go to the ball with him, weird, right?"

"Yep. Just like fate, isn't it?" replied Melody, a smirk on her face.

"Why are you smiling like that?" laughed Misty, in stitches at the look on Melody's face.

"Oh nothing. Just in awe at the fact that you, Misty Waterflower, seem to have a teeny tiny crush on the oh-so-egotistical Gary Oak."

"What?! No way, I do not!" exclaimed Misty.

"You so do! The way you talk about him, the fact that you're looking for the perfect dress for your first date with him, it's obvious!"

"It's not a date! I'm just going to help him out!"

Melody started talking again, but Misty wasn't paying attention. She had spotted a dress in the window of a shop opposite the coffee shop. The dress was hanging on a dummy and Misty had instantly fallen in love with it. It was black and strapless, with a simple design, but it was unlike any other dress she'd ever seen.

"Melody, we've gotta go and try on that dress."

Melody followed where Misty was pointing and gasped.

"Oh my God, how did we not _see_ that?! Let's go!"

Unexpectedly, Melody jumped up, and grabbed Misty, making her cup of coffee land on the ground. Not caring, Melody rushed over to the shop with the dress, pulling Misty behind her.

"Excuse me," said Melody to the assistant inside the shop, "Can my friend try on that dress please?"

"Certainly," replied the assistant, taking the dress off the dummy, "I'm afraid this is our last one though, I hope it's your size."

Her heart racing, Misty looked at the tag on the dress, surprisingly, it _was_ her size.

Melody dragged Misty to the dressing rooms at the back of the shop. Misty was pushed inside a dressing room, and she began to change into the dress. Once she'd slipped it over her head, she went to fix it and remove any creases, like she always did when she put something on, but to her surprise, there were no creases, and the dress fitted perfectly.

Misty emerged from the dressing room self-consciously, and Melody's jaw dropped.

"You. Look. _Gorgeous_! God Misty, you have to get it! You look... beautiful!"

A passing salesperson complimented Misty as she stood there, making her blush.

"I suppose I'll get it then," said Misty, retreating to the dressing rooms to change again.

"Too right you are! You're gonna be the most beautiful girl at this ball! Gary won't know what hit him!"

Melody kept saying how nice she looked in the dress while Misty changed, and when Misty emerged once again, the dress hung over her arm, she was still going on about it.

Although she'd probably be broke for the next few weeks, Misty handed over her money without any hesitation, and her face lit up when she was handed a bag with her dress inside.

Once outside the shop, Misty checked her watch, and realised she was already ten minutes late for her lesson with Gary.

"Damn, I'm late! I gotta go meet Gary, call me later?"

Melody nodded and watched as her best friend dashed off to meet Gary.

_'And you say you don't like Gary...'_

* * *

Gary was sitting at their usual table, making a pile of sugar when Misty dashed into Sharon's Café.

"God Gary, I'm so sorry, I was shopping for a dress, and I didn't see the time, and I -"

"Relax!" interrupted Gary, "It's fine!"

Gary pointed at the bag and looked at Misty.

"You bought me a present? You shouldn't have!"

"Nice try Gary, that's my dress for the ball."

Gary tried to look into the bag, but Misty slapped his hand away.

"Nope, you're not gonna see it until the ball! Now, you've pretty much learned a lotta stuff in the past few days. Let's just hope you can remember it all on Friday."

"Yeah, I know the conversation skills, dinner skills, etiquette and all that crap. What am I learning today?"

"I say we just run over everything else, 'cos that's basically it."

"Fair enough, we'll run through it all."

"Gary," started Misty, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Um... Why'd you invite me to this ball? I mean, May is one of your best friends, and she'd drop the party in a moment to go with you to this ball, you know she's head over heels for you."

"Yeah, she is... But May can get kinda annoying. Also, you're not too bad once you're not ripping my head off."

Misty laughed and smiled at Gary.

"Right, thanks. Okay, so when you walk in the door and someone greets you, what do you reply?"

"Greet them in return, bow if it's a woman, shake hands if it's a man, make small talk?"

"Good. And a few days ago, you would have just chatted them up..."

* * *

Professor Oak was in his bedroom, trying on his suit when he heard the door slam downstairs and a pair of footsteps coming up the stairs.

""Gramps?"

"In here Gary," called Professor Oak.

When Gary entered his grandfathers room and saw him sporting a suit, he whistled.

"Check you out Gramps! You'll have the women all over you at this ball! By the way, I've got some news."

"News?"

"Yep. One, I know some manners, and two, I got a date for the ball."

"Ahh, you got a date? And who is it? May? Someone else?"

"Actually, it's Misty. We're going, just as friends."

"Oh? Just as friends? Sounds strange coming from the boy who spends his days whining about how much he hates her."

"Haha, funny," said Gary, sarcastically, "She's actually not too bad. We're just friends Gramps, don't go getting any ideas!"

Gary waved with one hand, then left his grandfathers room to make his way down to his own one down the hall.

_'Oh, I'm not getting ideas Gary, I think I'll just let nature run it's course...'_

* * *

"Morning Gary," said a voice close to Gary. A female voice.

Gary yawned and opened his eyes and practically choked at the image in front of him.

Misty. Half naked. Wearing only matching red lingerie.

"Gary? Are you gonna sit there gawping at me or get up? Your grandfather just called up, breakfasts ready downstairs."

"M - Misty?! What the - ? Why are you here?!"

"Um, because I slept here last night maybe? You're so clueless in the morning!"

"Wait, _what_? You slept here last night?! But why?"

"My sisters are outta town, you know that! I told you! Now, come on, I wanna get breakfast."

"Uh, I'm not hungry thanks," said Gary, slowly, "I don't want any breakfast..."

Misty smirked and turned to face him.

"Not hungry? I suppose we _could_ stay up here..."

She crawled into bed beside Gary and snuggled up to him, kissing his neck gently.

"Holy sweet Jesus!" exclaimed Gary, in complete shock.

"What's wrong? You want me to stop?"

"No no no no, keep going! I was just a little - surprised. That's all."

To Gary's delight, Misty started kissing him again, leaving him in ecstasy.

"Gary? Gary!"

"No..." mumbled Gary, "Keep kissing, it feels good..."

"Gary Oak, get up right now!"

Gary jumped up, aware of the water now dripping from his hair all the way down his face.

Professor Oak stood beside Gary's bed, an empty glass of water in his hand, a smirk on his face.

Gary looked beside him: no Misty? No indication that Misty had even been there.

"Where's Misty?" questioned Gary, rubbing his head.

"Misty? Ahh, so _that's_ who you were dreaming about."

"Dreaming?! What the hell?"

"Well, judging from the moans of pleasure your were emitting, I'd say so. It was a tad scary, actually. Now, I came to talk to you about the travel arrangements for tomorrow night. The limousine will pick us up at seven sharp. We'll collect Misty, then Delia, and we'll be driven to the docks, where we'll be ferried across to the Orange Islands, okay? You can ether stay overnight there, or catch the last ferry back here at 1:00am, got it?"

"Got it, Gramps."

Once Professor Oak had left the room, Gary glanced at the tuxedo hanging on his wardrobe, and smirked.

"Who'd ever have thought _I'd _be wearing a tux..."

* * *

"So Misty, like, what are you gonna do with your hair and make up for this like, ball? You can't like, just tie it up you know."

"Um..." started Misty, "I dunno, I thought I'd... I thought I'd just... Oh, I don't know!"

"Well," announced Daisy, looking at her sisters, "I think we can help you out, right sisters?"

"Totally!" chorused Lily and Violet, grinning from ear to ear.

"You guys would help me out? Seriously?" asked Misty, in awe.

"Like, of course! You're our little sister, you have to look good! Now, I'd suggest lash-lifting mascara -"

"- And dark eyeliner -"

"- Can't forget blusher -"

"- Clear lip gloss -"

Misty quickly exited the room, her sisters still babbling about make up. She made her way up to her room, and shut the door behind her. When the black dress hanging on the wardrobe caught her eye, she smirked.

"Who'd ever have thought _I'd _be wearing a dress..."

* * *

**_Authors Note:_ Chapter four: finito! Sorry this took so long, I was away for a few days xD But I'm baaaack! But, you won't see Chapter Five until September, because i'm off to Majorca (Spain) on Saturday for two weeks! I need a break haha... So I'll have no updates, no reviews, replies, anything, until 25th August...**

**Anyways, onto the story! Misty has a dress. Gary has a tux. Gary also has dreams about Misty.. Kinda disturbing. I wanna be in his dreams! Misty's gonna be all girly, I was kinda stuck for a plot line for the next chapter, but I think I'm slowly working something out. Next chapter will be... the ball! Dun dun dunnn!**

**Keep R&R, it means a lot, see ya's in a few weeks!**


	5. With Me Tonight

"Like, oh my God, Misty looks like a _girl_!"

"Thanks Lily," replied Misty, sarcastically, standing up.

Self consciously, Misty made her way into the hall, and took a good look at herself in the full length mirror.

The black dress she'd bought hung perfectly on her curves and blended well with the high heeled shoes she'd picked up. Daisy had tamed Misty's usually wild hair, and had pulled it up into a bun, leaving a few strands of hair hanging, whilst Violet had applied a considerable amount of make up, which resulted in Misty sporting rosy cheeks, pouty lips, and eyes to die for.

"Wow sis, you look hot!" squealed Lily.

"Yeah, like, Gary's gonna like, fall at your feet!"

* * *

Gary Oak stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, trying desperately to put on a tie. No matter how many times he tried, it just didn't look right.

The song he was listening to ended, and the next track began.

_'In the car, I just can't wait, to pick you up on our very first date,"_

Gary stared at the CD player, as 'First Date' continued to play.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" he exclaimed, "There's like, twenty tracks on the album, and _that_ one plays?!"

"Gary! Come on, you're holding everything up!"

"Coming Gramps!" said Gary, throwing his tie on the bed before running downstairs to where his grandfather was waiting.

"Gary? Where's your tie?"

"I, em... I uh, lost it."

Gary looked at Gary suspiciously before sighing.

"If I go upstairs, I'm almost positive I'll find it thrown on your bed, but we haven't got time for that, you'll have to go without. Come on, the limo is outside, waiting."

"Whoa, Gramps!" exclaimed Gary, when he spotted the limo outside.

"You're really going all out, aren't ya?"

Professor Oak just smiled and walked towards the limo, Gary trailing behind.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Delia and Misty had been picked up, and Gary couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked amazing in her dress, and when she caught him looking at her, she blushed.

Delia and Professor Oak were deep in conversation, so Gary moved over beside Misty so they could talk.

"I never thought I'd say this... But you look really, really nice..."

"Thanks..." whispered Misty, looking down.

"Misty? Are you _blushing_?!"

"Uhhh maybe? It's not everyday I get a compliment, you know!"

"Well, you got one now."

Misty smiled at Gary, and looked out the window.

"Gary... After tonight, are you just gonna forget me and go back to torturing me with Drew and May?"

"Haha, no, of course not! Ya know, I've really gotten to know you a bit more over the past few days... And you're not exactly the psycho overdramatic bitch I made you out to be... When this is over, I thought we could be friends... If that's cool with you?"

"Yeah, that's cool... But what about the other two? They hate me!"

"Ahh, they don't hate you! May's just jealous, and Drew's a bit of an idiot in anyways. Screw them."

Misty was suspicious for a second, realising she was talking to Gary Oak, after all. He was arrogant, cocky, full of himself, but the Gary Oak she was talking to now seemed kind and sweet. He'd just dissed his friends, but Misty decided to let it slide for now, and see how he acted throughout the night.

"C'mon, we're at the ferry."

Gary hopped out of the limo and held out a hand for Misty. She took it and stepped outside, followed by Professor Oak and Delia.

After showing tickets, they were allowed access to the ferry and the group split into two : Professor Oak and Delia, and Gary and Misty.

"Now, the journey will take less than an hour, and we'll meet you just off the ferry, understand? And Gary, _behave_."

Misty and Gary were left on their own, and made their way up to the deck, waiting for the ferry to pull off.

"Um, Misty? Thanks for doing this for me. It really means a lot to me. And to my gramps."

"Wait a sec... Did Gary Oak just say _thank you_ to someone? Wow... This must REALLY mean a lot if you're saying thanks!"

"Oh haha, very funny!" replied Gary, sarcastically.

The pair felt a jolt beneath their feet, and the ferry slowly started to move away from it's port.

"Goodbye Kanto!" laughed Misty, waving to the land separated from them by sea.

Gary waved along with her, jokingly, and told her he was going to get them drinks. Whilst Gary was gone, Misty rested her head on her hands and looked overboard at the sea beneath them.

A week ago, she never would have thought she'd be going to a ball with Gary Oak of all people. Hell, she never would have thought she'd have been going to a ball at all! During the week, Gary had been almost... normal. He'd barely teased her, and when he did, it was only a joke to wind him up. She genuinely believed he'd changed, and couldn't wait to see if he remembered his manners at the ball.

Misty began to wonder how she, herself, would act at the ball. Would she remember all _her_ manners? Would she make a show of herself and the Oaks? Colour began to drain from her face as she started thinking about all the manners she'd practised since she was a child. Only a few came to her, and she began to panic.

_'Oh God! I can't remember anything! I'm gonna be standing there, with Gary acting all polite, and I won't have a clue what to say! I'll embarrass myself, along with Gary and his grandfather..."_

"Uh, Misty, you alright? You look kinda pale."

Gary had reappeared, two drinks in his hand, looking at Misty, concerningly.

"Umm, yeah, I'm fine, Gary. I was just thinking, I've spent the past few days helping you brush up on your formal skills, and I haven't even looked over _mine_. What if I screw up? What if someone asks me something and I go blank? Or I answer stupidly, and they never talk to me again? Or what if I -"

Misty stopped talking abruptly. She had to, seeing as Gary Oak had put the drinks on the ground and pressed his lips against hers.

* * *

"Gary! Darling, how are you?"

"Um, I'm fine, thanks, just fine."

Misty stood beside Gary as middle aged women swooped down on him, hugging and kissing him.

"And who's this beautiful young lady, Gary?" asked a woman, looking at Misty admiringly.

"This is Misty. She's my... um... friend. Doesn't she look pretty?"

Misty blushed and put her head down, trying to hide the redness in her cheeks.

"Ohhh, is this your _girlfriend_?"

"N - no!" stuttered Gary, "She's a friend of mine!"

"You look lovely, sweetheart," whispered one of the women to Misty, "Maybe you'll be the one to make him fall at a girls feet."

"Yeah," smiled Misty, "Maybe."

* * *

"Gary, quick, look! Look at that one over there! That's fourteen I've got so far!"

"Dammit!" exclaimed Gary, hitting his fist against the table.

Misty giggled, and drank the remainder of her Bacardi Breezer. Professor Oak had bought them a few bottles each to keep them quiet, and Misty only had one left. She wasn't drunk, but she wasn't sober; she was in between.

The pair were counting the amount of people that were over 50 and dressed like they were sixteen, and the place was crawling with them.

"Yes! I'm winning! Aw Gary, you look upset! Wanna dance?"

"Sure, I've been waiting to show off my moves on the dancefloor."

"Same old cocky Gary!" laughed Misty, dragging him onto the floor where everyone was dancing to an upbeat song.

Misty was in stitches laughing, as Gary tried to impersonate the robot, failing miserably.

When they finally sat down again, out of breath, Misty looked at her watch, and was amazed to see it was already 12.30am.

"Wow, the time is flying by!"

"Jeez, the last ferry leaves in half an hour, you wanna head now? I'm not really up for staying on this island overnight."

"Yeah, no problem, just let me get my bag."

As Misty went off to collect her bag from the cloakroom, Gary watched her.

_'God... She's some girl. I could never act like this with May, she's too clingy. With Misty, I can just be myself. And she doesn't even fall for my cockiness! Aw God, I'm all sentimental now, what's up with me?!'_

The pair said goodbye to Professor Oak and Delia, who were insisting on spending the night, and made their way down to the docks again. Within an hour, they were almost back at Kanto.

"Misty, I'm gonna call my gramps chauffeur now, and have him pick us up, so we'll drop you home, okay?"

"Umm, sure! Actually, I was gonna suggest we head over to Amy's sisters party. You were so good at the party, you deserve a treat, heh. And I know you like nothing more than a party. So whadya say?"

"Sounds great! We'll chill there for a while, then I'm dropping you home, I wanna make sure you get home safe!"

"Okey dokey!" smiled Misty,

"By the way, Misty, I'm really sorry about that kiss earlier. I thought it'd calm you down, but it was stupid, and I'm sorry."

"Gary, it's fine. Honestly, I don't mind a bit. It _did _calm me down, to be honest."

Gary smiled and looked over the side of the boat, spotting the faint outline of Kanto in the distance.

"Woo, nearly there!"

* * *

"Yo Gary! Over here!"

All the boys started calling Gary as soon as he entered the house, and the girls started whispering viciously when Misty walked in beside him.

Gary looked at Misty when the boys called his name, and she smirked.

"You know, you don't have to hang around me all night. Go over to your friends!"

Gary grinned, pecked Misty on the cheek quickly and ran over to join his friends.

Misty spotted a few girls she knew from her school, and walked over to them. They greeted her warmly and began to hound her with questions about Gary. She grabbed an unopened bottle of Blue WKD and proceeded to tell them all about the manners lessons, her dress, and the ball.

Gary was drinking with all his friends from school, but still kept a close eye on Misty. He could see her drinking, and didn't want her to get too drunk. He didn't know how much drink she could handle, but he realised that there was a big crowd of girls with her, and so he relaxed a little.

Meanwhile, Misty was on her ninth bottle of WKD and was slurring her words. She vaguely felt the presence of all the girls around her, and two boys close by. She remembered Gary and smiled, looking around for him.

"Gary! Gary! Where's Gary?" she exclaimed, looking dazed.

"He's over there sweetie, you want me to get him?"

"Yesh pleash..." yawned Misty, he head drooping slightly.

Gary noticed Misty drooping and made his way towards her.

"Misty, you alright? You wanna go home?"

"Hi Gary!" she giggled, "No, I'm swear, I fine! Oops! I mean I'm fine, I swear!"

"Misty, I think you've had a little too much to drink! I'm gonna get my stuff, and I'll be right back over, okay?"

Misty nodded, still giggling.

Gary went back over to where his friends were, and picked up his suit jacket, which he'd thrown on the table when he'd arrived. He said goodbye quickly to them all, then turned back around to where Misty was sitting.

Except the chair she'd been sitting on was empty. Misty was gone.

* * *

**Authors Note: Ohmygod. I owe everyone SUCH an apology! I'm sosososo sorry for the EXTREMELY late update when I said I'd update in August! There's been a lot of stuff on going on at home, what with my grandfather being extrmely ill, I'm afraid he's only got a few days left in him :(**

**Anyway, here's Chapter 5, at last! It has the ball scene, and since I've really enjoyed writing this, I'm adding another chapter, woo! This chapter is my apology, so please R&R, and I swear Chapter 6 won't take four months this time!**

**Amy X**


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